Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-06
NEW YORK LETTER.
Oh. rALMAeE LIKss A JoxE-HIs
DRUNKEN SERMON.
a Gorgeous Lunch-rhe "Rounders" OF
the Dsy-rhs Terry Case
Mr. Sully, etc.
correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch

charity Tor those who are incined 10
be conviyial. tie appreciates good
joke, no matter at whose expense 1t
may be, and he told me an amusing
story about his experience with Phil
adelphia reporter. asked permission
to PRINT it,
Mr. Talmage said: Twenty years
ago was young preacher occupying
a pulpit in Philadelphia. One Sunday
night, after service, l WAS sitting in my
study when there was knock at the
door. / cried Come in, and re-
porter entered. That he had been
drinking could see at glance. He
was profuscly and verbosely polite, and
apologized for his presence first and
afterwards of his lateness. He wanted
nv serinon-must have it, he said, or
would get into great trouble. told
him had no notes, and he said could
easily dictate it to him, as he was a
rapid writer. | gave him seat ut II
table, and he wrote at my dictation.
His rotations must have been recent,
for when he rose from the table with
q column and half of my sermon in
notes he was much more intoxicated
than when he came in. His legs re-
fused to perform their Office with any
degree of accuracy, and so / helped
him up. My study was in the rear of
the church, and the only egress to the
street was by means of an alley be-
tween the church and the school-house.
This alley was dark rs pitch, and as |
helped the reporter out | said to him.
BE careful, now, pick your way,
there's q pump in the alley, and you
will fall against it. Then l stood in
the doorway watching to see him safely
out. He wandered along unsteadily.
but safely, and disappeared in
the darkness. Soon I heard u
great crashing and spluttering,
succeeded by swearing and fall.
| know it is shame to laugh
Mt o drunken man, but couldn't help
il. l laughed so heartily that | could
not walk step for two or three min
utes Then hastily got lantern and
went to the rescue. found the re-
ported twined around the pump handle
and engaged in what looked like a life
or death struggle with it. He was
using bad language. Leaves of notes
was strewed all about him. BY the
light of the lantern we picked all the
notes up, and then l started my visitor
out of the gate and went back to my
study. Next morning looked in the
paper for my sermon. 1t started
off like this DIR. Talmage, preach
ing last evening in - church, took
for his text John xiv, l-2, and said:
When / was Governor of Pennsylva-
mia. can tell you / stared when |
saw that. found scraps of my ser
mon mixed in with red-hot denuncia-
ton of prominent Pennsylvania poll
ticians and advice to the Federal Gov
ernment and the State authorities. [
was aghast, and determined to write to
the paper and complain. Looking
little further | discovered what pur-
ported to be an interview with ex-Gov-
ernor Pollock. Into that all the missing
portions of my sermon had been inter
picted. Then the full magnitude of
the joke burst upon me, and | laughed
till the tears ran down my face. Some
how the reporter had managed to mix
the interview with the sermon in equal
parts. | never wrote to the paper; the
thing was too good to complain of. "
sUMPrUoUs FEAsT.
Probably the finest luncheon ever
served in New York was that given by
Mrs. G.. II. II. Coils on Saturday in
honor of her daughter, Mrs. Edwin c.
Lewis, beautiful blonde prominent i'll
Philadelphia society.
The luncheon was served by Sheny,
who surpassed all his former efforts. 1t
consisted of fifteen courses, each course
served upon the finest and most beauti-
full of china, royal Worcester, Serves,
and exquisite Dresden, each i'll turn,
with marvellous display of cut-glass
adding to the decoration of the table.
The spoons were of gold, with claisonee
enamel. The table was covered with
the finest white linen damask. There
was scarf of cloth of gold running
the entire length of the table. In the
centre of this scarf was an immense
bank of flowers, while on both sides
were antique silver candelabra. AT each
end of the table were large circular
banks of flowers surrounded by fairy
lamps. The menu consisted of straw
berries, tied together in lunches
adorned with fern leaves, on hand
painted friit-plates, Boudins de foie
gras, olives, celeri, radish, shirred eggs
with truffies, in individual dishes
chicken hvers enbrochette, on silver
skewers escaloped filet trianon,
pommes chateau, chicken patties in the
form OF butterflies, ornamented with
white of eggs, with colored lines, petit
pois. Terrapin was served in tiny
china turtles the backs of the turtles
we're removed, disclosing the terra
pin; within these alternated with tiny
silver saucepaus, tied with different rib
bons, champagne, jelly, supreme OF
quail, with celery said. Then came
iced fruits, served in tulips made of
candy, with green candy leaves, The
ices were in the form of candles, some
with a chocolate candlestick, with PTS
tache candle or strawberry candlestick
and vanilla candle: each contained a
lighted WAX taper for the wick. sur
rounded by tiny candle-shade.
There was cake, fruits, coffee and
sherry, Sauterne clsret, Apollinaris
water, and champagne Marrons glaces
were served from plates in the bottom of
which hidden music-box played fami
liar airs AT each plate was haad-bou-
quet of choice flowers tied with wide diff
ferent-colored ribbons. The menu was
inelosed in colored satin covers, over
which hunga hand-painted Kate Green
away figure on white silk bolting-cloth.
The giest's names were attached to
each. Beautiful souvenirs of the occa-
sion consisted OF tiny silver tea-kettles,
filed with CONNECTIONS, and other SOU
venirs were the finest Satsuma porce--
lain Jars, also filed with candies and
tied with ribbons.
HANDSOME TOILETS.
The receiving party consisted OF Mrs.
Coils. the hostess, in a costume OF
black satin, over which was black lace
robe embroidered with gold. She car
ried Prince-of-Wales fan Of yellow
feathers, while yellow feather aigrette
adorned her jet-black hair. Mrs. Coils
Is a neutrality-suspicious. woman. Next
70 her was her daughter, Mrs. Lewis, in